The Potions Master's Nephew
by Cosmyk Angel
Summary: Formerly "Uncle Severus." This is an adopted fic. It is based around the premise that Severus Snape was Lily Evans-Potter's half-brother. He takes in and raises Harry, evoking many changes from the original storyline. This will be Harry's story as written if his life had taken a different turn at the age of six.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, and all of its characters belongs to J.K. Rowling. I am just playing in her playground._

_**A/N: This fic was adopted from another author and was originally titled 'Uncle Severus' as such, I am not including any of the previous Author Notes or responses to reviews from before. Also, I only have what was written of this story that the author herself gave me. I have no other notes, so once I get to the end of what has been written by her, the story will go the way I wish it to. I am currently working on several other things also, so updates may be few and far between. **_

_**This will be rated 'T' for teen. While I am normally a Harry/Ginny shipper, I have not decided what pairings (if any) will be in this story. That being said, there will be NO soul bonds in this story, nor marriages due to life debts. After all, by killing Voldemort, most of the Wizarding World of Britain and beyond owes Harry a life debt, and he can't marry all of them.**_

_**Hope you enjoy the story and any changes that come from a change in authors.**_

_**-Cosmyk**_

Chapter 1—The Letters

Severus Tobias Snape sat in his quarters, marking away at a third year's pathetic attempt at an essay, his shoulder-length, ebony hair tied in the back, out of the way. The sight of all the red ink made him feel better after a long, hard day of attempting to teach a bunch of dunderheads how to brew potions. It almost made him smile with sadistic glee at being able to take his frustration out in such a manner, almost.

But a smile rarely, if ever, graced the sallow, pale face. Joy and happiness rarely entered the dark, obsidian eyes. Not since her death. Her death caused by information given to the wrong person; information he had given to the wrong person. It was entirely his fault that his best friend was now dead, and he was doing what he could to atone for it. He was so lucky that Albus Dumbledore was so forgiving and had offered him a way to redeem himself.

"Protect him, Severus, for her sake," Dumbledore had said.

"I will. For her. Only for her," he'd replied.

But he need not fulfill that promise until the Potter brat actually began at Hogwarts, an event which was still six blessed years away.

Were anyone to actually be permitted to visit his quarters, they would be quite surprised at how homey it was. The walls in the living room were a soft blue, with white and soft brown couches and chairs, a coffee table, and some side tables. Along one wall were some bookshelves, and on the opposite wall was a cheerfully crackling fire with a chair on each side, angled towards the fire.

Suddenly, a brown owl flew in with four letters held tightly in his beak. Dropping them in front of the Potions Master, the owl flew back out the way he came. Curious, Severus put aside the ridiculous essays and –after casting detection spells at the letters to be sure there were no curses, hexes, or the like on or in them—reached for one of the letters, which was marked "Read first."

To Mr. Severus Tobias Snape,

My name is Richard Johnson, the Potters' solicitor.

Lily Evans Potter left these letters in my possession and requested that I send them to you if something should happen to her and her family, and render her incapable of giving them to you. Unfortunately, there was a fire that destroyed most of the offices, so we have been rebuilding, which is why we are just now getting these to you. Fortunately, these letters were placed in a fire-proof safe in my office and thus remained unharmed.

The numbers in the corner of each letter indicate the order in which you should read the letters. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Richard Johnson

Solicitor

Johnson Magical Law Firm

Slightly stunned, it was a moment before Severus looked at the other letters and noted the numbers in the corner of each one. Picking up the letter with a one marked on it, he slowly opened it, scanning down the page to see who had written it; His mother. Why would Lily have had a letter from his mother? Maybe the letter held the answers, so he began reading.

My dear Severus,

If you are reading this letter, then I am no longer living. There are a few things that I wanted tell you, my son, but only when the timing was right. I have given this letter to your father to give to you when he feels you should be told.

Tobias Snape is not your father. I was in love with a married man and had an affair with him, I am ashamed to admit. But it resulted in you, so I cannot completely regret my decision. Your real father's name is Henry Evans. Yes, that's right—Lily's father, which also means that she is your half-sister.

Because Henry was already married, we found a muggle man who was very willing to marry me. He never told me what his reasons were, but he agreed to marry me, even though he knew that you were not his. After you were born, I gave you Polyjuice Potion, which, because you were so young, permanently changed your appearance.

Henry will explain to you his reasons for what he did. He explained them to me before we got involved in our affair, but I believe that it would be better for you to hear them from him.

I am so sorry, my son. I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me. Always remember that I love you.

Love,

Mum

Severus dropped the letter in shock. No, this couldn't be true. It was impossible. While the small part of his brain that wasn't in shock rejoiced to discover that he actually wasn't related to the horrid man he'd grown up thinking was his father, it was about the only thing he could wrap his mind around right then.

A log suddenly crackled in the fireplace, pulling Severus from his shocked trance. Looking at the other two letters in front of him, he picked up the one with a two marked on it and broke the seal.

My dear son,

By now, you will have read your mother's letter. I hope that you can forgive me for my sin of unfaithfulness to my wife. I loved your mother dearly, but I was already married. My wife had tricked me into marrying her by claiming that she was pregnant with my child, which was really quite impossible. However, her parents believed her and demanded that I marry her.

It turned out that she really had been pregnant, although I was not the father, but she miscarried soon after our marriage. She was desolate until she became pregnant with Petunia. Of course, she pampered and spoiled Petunia. So focused was she on our first-born that when Lily was born, I was the only one who paid our lovely second daughter any attention.

Around the time that my wife became pregnant with Lily, I met your mother and fell in love with her. Unfortunately, because I was already married, I could not marry your mother. As much as I wanted to get a divorce, I did not wish to put my children through that. My own parents had divorced when I was young, so I knew the trauma that divorce puts a child through.

But your mother was so kind and understanding and I loved her very much. We both just wanted to forget that I was married to another woman and be happy for a while. That was when our affair began. Once she became pregnant with you, we knew we had to stop. We found another muggle (she had told me all about her abilities and had introduced me to the magical world) who was really quite willing to marry her, despite the fact that she was already pregnant with you. We never did find out why he was so eager to marry her.

They married and moved to a home nearby. My wife never found out I'd had an affair, so this was a good excuse for me to be able to still see you as you grew up. Lily and I would often visit the park, as I am sure you are aware, as that is where the three of us met.

Once I heard from Lily about what Tobias did to both you and your mother, I was ready to divorce my wife and whisk the both of you away. Of course, Lily would have gone with us, too. But your mother would have none of it, saying that I needed to keep my own family together, and claiming that Tobias would never allow it.

So, instead, I did my best to care for the both of you from a distance and eagerly watched your friendship with Lily grow. She would often talk about you, and would write to me about you, but it was not until after she graduated from Hogwarts that I discovered that she had overheard your mother and me talking about you one day just after your second year at Hogwarts. But she seemed to understand the need for secrecy and assured me that she had never told you.

I hope, my son, that you can forgive me for my unfaithfulness to my wife and that you can forgive me for not being there for you like I should have. Still, I hope it was enough, for there was little more that I could do, although I wanted to do so much more.

Lily informed me of your decision to join the Dark Lord, but we never believed you were a dark wizard. Somehow, I know that you will see the truth of the one you are currently following and will come away from it. Know that I am proud of you, my son, for all that you have overcome in your young life, and for all that I know that you can be. You have so much potential. Do not let it go to waste. Do not let yourself become depressed over the mistakes you have made. Learn from them, and then let go of them, otherwise they will weigh you down.

Love,

Henry Evans

Severus fought back his tears. Tobias had never said he loved him or was proud of him. Yet this man, this man who he'd always thought of as his best friend's father, this man who he'd always wished were his father, too, this man who had always treated him with kindness, like Severus was his son, this man was proud of him. Even though Henry—Dad, he corrected himself—knew he was a Death Eater, he had still been proud of him.

He sat there for what seemed like hours and cried. Finally, he had the love of his father. Well, he'd always had it; he just hadn't realized that the man really was his father. Once he had regained some of his composure, he recalled the last letter. It was the one that Lily had written; Lily, his sister. She had not lied when she said she loved him, but now he understood why she had said that they could not be together. He also understood why she had not told him—it was for his protection, from the Dark Lord.

Reaching out a shaking hand, he picked up the letter, opened it, and began to read.

My dear Severus,

For dear you will always be to me, just not in the way you had wished. Yes, James knows that I am writing this to you, and he also knows why. We are about to go into hiding, so I am leaving these with our solicitor to give to you should anything happen to us.

I hope that now you understand why we could never be together. And I hope that you can forgive me for not telling you. I shudder to think of what would happen if my mother were ever to find out. But not only that, your friends would have been very upset and I feared what the Dark Lord might try to do if he found out that we are actually related.

Sev, I know that you are a good person. Yes, you have made your mistakes, but so haven't we all. I want you to know that I am proud of you, just as our father is, of what you have overcome. You do have a lot of potential. Please, put it to good use. We do not have much time left before we must give these and a few other items to our solicitor.

Please remember, Sev, that I love you and that I always will.

Love,

Lily

P.S.—Severus, this is James writing now. Lily has agreed to let me attach a note to this. I just want to say that I am terribly sorry for the way that we treated you when we were at Hogwarts. I know an apology cannot make up for what we did to you, so after this whole thing is over, if there is any way that I can make it up to you, please do not hesitate to let me know.

And I must make a request of you. Lily does not know I am writing this part, but if anything should happen to us, please look after Harry. Yes, he looks a lot like me, but please do not let that prevent you from loving him. I swear his personality is all Lily. Please, as his uncle, love him and take care of him. Sirius is still too immature to be a good role model for Harry. I don't know what I was thinking, naming him as Harry's godfather. And Remus, as wonderful as he is, is not willing to expose him to his problem. You know what I mean. Petunia and her husband hate magic, and we have stated in our will that under no circumstances is Harry to go live with them.

I want to say again that I am so terribly sorry for how we treated you. If there were any way for me to go back and undo what we did, I would do it in a heartbeat. I hope that one day you will find it in your heart to forgive me.

Sincerely,

James

For many minutes, Severus just sat there, stunned. If he had ever wished for an apology from James, he had never actually expected one. Please look after Harry. And James Potter had asked him—"Snivellus"—to look after his precious son.

He definitely needed a few days to sort through this.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, and all of its characters belongs to J.K. Rowling. I am just playing in her playground._

Chapter 2—Harry

Harry James Potter, beloved savior of the wizarding world, was up at the crack of dawn, fixing breakfast for the Dursleys. Really, it was quite routine for him, as he had been cooking for the Dursleys for as long as he could reach the stove—with a stool. So he didn't mind that he had to cook for them. He'd been glad, really, as it gave him something to do. Well, other than cleaning and the outside chores that the Dursleys always had him do.

Sometimes he was even able to sneak a bite or two, to supplement the meager fare they always gave him. Not that he was complaining, oh no. That would be ungrateful if he complained, and the Dursleys would have none of that. Not from him, anyway.

Harry glanced around the pristine kitchen and shuddered. His aunt always wanted everything spotless.

He briefly recalled another kitchen, nowhere near as pristine, full of laughter. There was also a soft, sweet voice humming a tune, then later, happy voices saying "Happy birthday, Harry!" The voice closest to him was female, his mother. He felt tears blur his eyes as he recalled her voice.

Harry was rudely jolted from the flashback by the smell of something burning. 'Oh no! Uncle Vernon is going to be so mad,' he thought, panicking. Hurriedly, he pulled the eggs off of the stove and scraped them into the trash can. Opening the door, he hoped that the smell would go outside before they had a chance to notice.

No such luck.

Petunia had been up, primping and preparing herself for her morning out with her "precious Dudders" and had smelled the burning food. "Vernon!" she screeched. "That boy burned the food! Get up and take care of him!"

Vernon stumbled to the kitchen (having just woken up) and caught sight of Harry scrambling to put more eggs in the pan. "Boy!" he shouted. "I had to wake up because you burned the food. You're really gonna get it now! After all that we've done for you—we took you in, we feed you, and we give you clothes—and you can't even manage to cook without burning something! Well, you wanna burn something, how about this!" And he took Harry's hand and held it to the burner. Harry had learned long ago that screaming and pleading did no good—in fact, it only made things worse.

Vernon flung Harry's hand away from him. "Now see to it that you don't burn anything else, or you'll get no food for the next month, you ungrateful freak! Make sure breakfast is ready by the time I get back down here, or it'll be even worse for you!" Then he turned around and stormed back out of the kitchen.

Harry finally let out a little whimper and ran over to the freezer, placing his hand on the nice, cold, frozen package of sausages that the Dursleys enjoyed having for breakfast. He pulled it out, relishing in the feel of the cold against his burned hand. At least the cold would stop his hand from burning further.

Scrambling around, he managed to get breakfast on the table before his uncle returned downstairs. Vernon sniffed disdainfully. "I see you can do things right when you want to, boy," he sneered. "But it shouldn't take me threatening you to get you to do as you're told. Perhaps I should punish you anyway, once we're done with breakfast. Maybe that'll get it through your thick head."

Harry's face drained of color, but he made not a sound. Answering his uncle, or making any noise around him, really, would just make things worse.

"Haha!" Dudley cried out. "The freak's gonna get it! The freak's gonna get it! Can I have a go at him, too, Dad?"

"Of course, Dudders," Vernon replied. "But finish breakfast first," he added upon seeing Dudley about to abandon his breakfast in favor of beating up Harry.

Once the Dursleys had finished breakfast, Vernon loomed over Harry. "It's time for your lesson, boy," he hissed, reaching one meaty hand towards Harry. Having no choice, Harry mentally prepared himself to take whatever his uncle and cousin had in store for him.

Harry felt cold water being poured onto his face. "Get up, boy!" Petunia shrieked. "You have work to do!" She thrust a piece of paper at him and added, "and clean up this mess!"

Harry took the paper and groaned. He hurt so much! What had happened? Suddenly, he recalled his uncle saying that he would "teach him a lesson." I must have passed out, he thought. Groaning again as he picked himself off of the floor, he looked with dismay at the list of chores. His aunt had already left the room to do her last-minute preparations to take Dudley out, and his uncle had already left for work. Soon, he told himself, soon I will have the house all to myself. He grabbed a towel and began cleaning the puddle of water that was left after his aunt had poured water on him to wake him up.

Petunia poked her head in the kitchen. Satisfied that Harry was working, she snarled, "And be sure that all your chores are done before your uncle gets home, boy. Or you'll wish you were never born."

"Yes, ma'am," Harry whispered respectfully, never once raising his eyes from what he was doing. Petunia nodded and then swept out the door with Dudley in tow.

Sighing with relief, Harry slowed his movements a little to give some relief to his aching body. But he had to continue working, lest he get worse when his uncle got home. Once he finished cleaning up the water, he turned his attention to the breakfast dishes and cleared them away, washing and drying them, then putting them in their places.

Next on the list was taking the trash out and then cleaning the kitchen until there was not a spot left. Having done this for so long, it only took him a half an hour. Then he moved on to the living room, the bathroom, Dudley's room, his aunt and uncle's room, and the hallways, leaving each of them spotless—just as his aunt liked them.

Now for the outside chores, Harry thought, as he looked up at the sun. He had long ago learned to tell what time it was by the position of the sun. It was eleven o'clock. Maybe if he had at least the weeding done, his aunt Petunia would give him something for lunch.

Sure enough, when Petunia and Dudley arrived home an hour later, the weeding was done. A few minutes later, Petunia walked out the back door where Harry was pulling out the trimming shears. "Here's a sandwich, freak. Wash up with the hose. You'll eat out here and then get back to work."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Aunt Petunia." Petunia nodded in response and then swept back into the house. Harry washed the dirt off of his hands and proceeded to eat his sandwich.

Hmmm…Aunt Petunia is being generous today. Lettuce, tomatoes, and a full slice of bologna? I don't think that's ever happened before, he thought as he savored his sandwich. Remembering the rest of his chores, he hurriedly ate the rest and set about trimming the bushes. After the bushes were done, he mowed the yard and then watered the garden and flower beds, pleased that he was able to complete it all before his uncle got home.

Later that evening, Harry sat in his cupboard, thinking over that brief memory to see if he could recall anything else. He could not, but he relished the sound of his mother's voice humming. It seemed almost like she was humming right next to him, and it lulled him to sleep.

Harry's dream

"Harry, love, open your eyes," said a red-headed woman with the same green eyes as Harry. Slowly, Harry opened his eyes. "That's it, love, look at Mummy."

"M-Mum?" Harry asked, sitting up, wide-eyed. He quickly took in the area around them. He recognized it as the park near his school.

"Yes, Harry, come here, love," Lily replied, opening her arms to her beloved son. Harry walked over to his mother, who waved her hand over him, healing his wounds and bruises. Curling up in his mother's arms, Harry snuggled into her warmth. "No going back to sleep, yet, Harry. I have a message for you."

Harry smiled up at his mother. "A message?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, dear. Few know, but I have a brother. He is my half-brother, but he lived with another family—he lived with his mother and step-father." Harry's eyes were glued to his mother's face, drinking in every word she said and memorizing her sweet, lilting voice.

"He was unaware that he is my brother, but he knows now. It may be a few days, but he will come for you. His name is Severus. You know, I never wanted you to live with Petunia—I know that she hates magic. Yes, my son," Lily added at Harry's incredulous look, "magic is real and you are a wizard. Petunia thinks that magic is weird, which is why they call you a freak. But I was magical, too, and would you say that I am freaky?"

Harry shook his head. "No, Mum. You're wonderful!"

Lily smiled at her son's exclamation. "Exactly. Now, it is almost time for your day to begin. Once Severus comes, he will answer any questions that you have. Ask him to tell you about me and your father. He will tell you the truth about how we died. Remember that I am always with you, love." Harry nodded and hugged his mother.

"I love you, Mum." Tears filled his eyes.

Lily hugged Harry tighter. "I love you, too, my precious son."

Harry woke up from his dream, a tear slipping down his cheek. Slowly, he relived the dream in his mind. He'd seen his mother's face! And she loved him! He smiled, still feeling like his mother's arms were around him. Then he recalled what she'd said. His uncle was going to come rescue him!

Scrambling to get ready for the day (which never took him long at all), he suddenly realized that he no longer felt achy. Then he remembered that his mother had healed him. He smiled. Oh, how he loved his mother!

"Boy!" he heard suddenly, "Get up and make breakfast! I won't have you lazing around all day!"

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry replied, pushing open the door of his cupboard and beginning his day, fighting to keep the smile off of his face. The Dursleys would not be happy if they saw him smiling. Fortunately, he was well-versed in the art of keeping his emotions to himself. He had to in order to survive in this house.

But the knowledge that his mother loved him, was always with him, and that he would be rescued soon, aided him in being content for the first time since he came to live with his aunt and uncle. He knew that today was going to be a very good day.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, and all of its characters belongs to J.K. Rowling. I am just playing in her playground._

Chapter 3—Reactions and Investigations

Severus Snape sat in his quarters on Sunday and sighed, a troubled frown on his face as he recalled the dream he'd had the previous night. Lily had come to him to tell him that Harry was living with the Dursleys and that they treated him terribly.

"_Worse than how Tobias used to treat you, Sev," she had told him. "I know you have things you need to sort through, but please do not make him stay with them longer than necessary. You know that Albus was aware that we did not want Harry to be placed with Petunia, but he disregarded our will and altered it. We foolishly made him an executor of our will, along with Remus, Sirius, and Peter._

_Remus, you know, had to flee the country because he is a werewolf. Sirius was placed in Azkaban because everyone thought he betrayed us and killed all those muggles." Then she'd added at his look of incredulity, "Sirius had persuaded us to switch our Secret Keeper from him, as he was too obvious a choice, to Peter. And he would never kill anyone unless it was necessary. Killing all those muggles would not have been necessary. And Peter…I do not know what happened to Peter, but he is not dead._

_Please, Sev, once you've sorted through this, save my son and deal with Albus."_

Looking over the letter in his hands for the hundredth time, he found his thoughts wandering. 'How could they have done it? They were upset because Mrs. Evans had effectively forced Henry to marry her and then…but it does say that Tobias was willing to marry her.' Severus ran a hand through his hair in frustration, but then stood suddenly and strode over to his fireplace. Grabbing some floo powder, he tossed it in, called out, "Spinner's End" and was whisked away to his childhood home.

Stepping out of the fireplace, he cast a Lumos in an effort to lighten the dark house. Not that it did much good, but it would take less time for his eyes to adjust this way. He scanned the room. Everything was just as he had left it after Tobias's death years ago. The dark, musty curtains drawn to keep out the world, the dark, moth-eaten furniture covered in dust. Once-white walls now had an ugly tint of brown and faded pictures still hung on the wall.

Walking forward, he stepped carefully up each creaky stair, lest he fall through one of them and injure himself. I should really get rid of this house. It's falling apart, he thought. He cautiously stepped towards what had once been Tobias' room. He'd not been in this room since he'd discovered the man's body one summer after returning from Hogwarts. He had just come of age.

Opening the door, he cast a quick cleaning spell to get rid of all the dust and cobwebs. He looked around until he spotted a small bookshelf and walked over to it. Looking through the few books there, he came across what looked to be some journals and pulled them out. Shrinking them, he stuck them in his pocket and continued his investigation of the room. Finding nothing else, he turned and exited, closing the door softly behind him.

'Now to see if there's anything in Mum's room,' he thought glumly. 'This place always has a way of making a person feel sad and depressed.' Upon reaching his mother's room, he slowly opened the door and cast another cleaning spell. Here he also discovered some journals and a few other items his mother had clearly treasured, tucked away in a hidden compartment of her desk. His mother had told him about the compartment just before she died, but he'd never gone into her room to see what was in it.

After he was done in his mother's room, he investigated what had once been his own room, to be sure he was not leaving anything behind. 'I'm going to get rid of this house. Why didn't I think to do so before? I have Prince Manor, after all. It's not like I needed to keep this house.' He stopped as he discovered some long-forgotten journals and a few books that Harry might like—at least once he was older and could read them. There was also a box of mementos that he'd collected over the years, from his time with Lily and Henry.

Shrinking each of them and placing them in his pockets, he looked through the house one last time to be sure he was not leaving anything of importance and then flooed back to Hogwarts. Unshrinking each item, he picked up one of Tobias' journals and began skimming through it to see if there was anything that might give him a clue as to why Tobias had been so eager to marry his mother.

He hummed quietly when he found the entry he was looking for.

_My life will now go as planned. I was approached today by a man and a woman seeking to hide the fact that the woman became pregnant out of wedlock. The man is already married, so they asked if I would marry her, promising me a nice sum of money. Yes, yes, this will work out nicely for me. She will work and provide the income and her brat can keep the house clean once it is old enough. Her name is Eileen Prince. The only drawback is that she has magical powers. I have informed her that there will be no magic used around me or in my home. She has agreed to this. Hmmm…once her brat is born, I may have to beat the magic out of him. Yes, that will work nicely—I can take out my frustrations that way._

Severus dropped the journal in shock. Tobias had married his mother so that he could be lazy. His temper immediately flared, causing the room to shake ominously. He felt that it was such a pity that Tobias was already dead. Because if he had still been alive…

A malicious glint entered his eyes, but just as quickly, it disappeared. He instead crossed over to his potions cabinet and pulled out a calming draught, downing it in one. Once it had taken effect, he continued skimming through Tobias' journal, but there wasn't much of worth after that one entry.

Sinking back into his chair, he sat there, trying to wrap his mind around everything. The shock had finally worn off that Lily was his sister and that Henry was his father. He recalled all of the things that Henry had gotten him on their outings, telling him whenever he protested that, "You are like a son to me, Severus. It is only natural that I would buy things for you."

He recalled how Petunia had always scorned them for their abilities to do magic on the rare occasions they were at the Evans' home. They generally preferred to go to a park or to explore the shops in town. Sometimes they would even go to the city.

He recalled a comment Lily had once made. "I rarely ever see my parents in the same room together. Mum spends most of her time with Petunia, while Dad spends most of his time with me. Even when we're in the house, Dad often praises my abilities. I don't think I've ever heard him praise Petunia for her accomplishments. It's probably why she's always so bitter towards me—and probably contributes to her hatred of magic."

He sighed. His thoughts were wild and scattered. He was distracted from said wild and scattered thoughts by the sound of the floo flaring to life and he watched as an aristocratic blond stepped out of the fireplace. Lucius Malfoy, his second best friend (second only to Lily, although, she was dead now, so it was impossible to have a conversation with her). The blond had turned spy for the Order and Dumbledore well before Severus had, after witnessing the brutal murder of a former classmate. It had taken a while after Severus also began spying for Dumbledore, but the two had eventually come to trust each other again.

"Lucius, a welcome distraction from my thoughts," Severus greeted him.

"Severus," Lucius replied. "What do you mean a welcome distraction from your thoughts? Care to discuss what's going on?" he added while making himself comfortable in the chair next to his friend and pouring himself a cup of tea from the tray that had popped onto the side table between them.

Severus sighed and explained the situation to his friend. Talking about things always made it easier for him to sort through whatever was troubling him, even if it happened to be an imagined conversation with Lily. He even told Lucius what he'd discovered in Tobias' journal. Lucius sat there looking stunned until Severus told him about Tobias' reason for marrying Eileen.

Lucius jumped up from his chair and began swearing, adding to Severus, "If he weren't already dead, Severus, I would go and show him why Death Eaters are so feared! And I would make sure he died a slow, painful death for everything he put you and your mother through! His reason for marrying your mother disgusts me!"

The look on Severus' face was grim as he took a sip of his tea. "Indeed," he concurred. "I was thinking the same thing after I read it." He watched, alert, as Lucius sat back down. "I am uncertain, however, what to make of what my mother and father admitted about my father being unfaithful to his wife, even if she did coerce him into marrying her."

Lucius frowned thoughtfully. "Well," he said slowly, "try to think of how you would feel if you were in their place. Both were in love and unhappy because they couldn't get married. Your father was unhappy with the woman he was married to, but he didn't want to put his daughter through the trauma of a divorce. It does appear as if he was remorseful for his unfaithfulness, although perhaps not for the right reasons. And besides, you would not have been born. Be thankful they gave you life."

Severus' face took on a contemplative look, and then decided to let it all go. Remaining upset about it wouldn't change what they had done. Besides, at least they had acknowledged that they were wrong and had asked him for forgiveness, and like Lucius had said, he would not have been born otherwise. So he nodded to acknowledge his friend's wisdom and asked, "You came here for a purpose. What can I do for you?"

Lucius smiled slightly. "Draco and Cissa have commented that it has been a while since you last visited us. Since you seem to be busy today, perhaps you'd like to come for a visit next weekend? You could bring your nephew with you, too. It should be all sorted out by then, right?"

Severus nodded slowly. "Yes," he replied, "it should be sorted out by then. Speaking of which," he added with a glint in his eyes, "I think I'm going to take a trip to Gringotts. I do not wish to run the risk of either Albus or anyone at the ministry finding out."

Lucius nodded. "Good luck, my friend. Let me know how it goes, and if you need any help in dealing with those muggles," he said before stepping into the floo and being whisked back to Malfoy Manor.

Making quick decisions, Severus placed the things from Spinner's End, along with the letters he'd been sent, into his room. After warding his bedroom door with a combination of hexes and curses—lest Dumbledore come in through the floo and decide to snoop around—, he proceeded to his lab to make a paternity potion, so that he might prove his relationship to Harry Potter. After the potion was done, he placed it in a vial and then added two drops of his blood. Pouring it on a piece of parchment, he watched in satisfaction as it showed that his birth father was Henry Evans, and that Lily was his sister. Taking the parchment in hand—and after retrieving the letters he'd received and then re-warding his room—he then flooed to the Leaky Cauldron and made his way to Gringotts.

Not even bothering to glance at anyone or to take notice of the other shops, he entered the beautiful building, nodding respectfully to the goblins standing sentinel at the doors. "I would like to speak with Griphook," he respectfully informed the only available goblin. Goblins were very cooperative when treated with respect.

"Of course, Mr. Snape, if you will wait just one moment, I will see if he is available," the goblin replied, walking towards the door that led to Griphook's office.

Meanwhile, Severus looked around and took in the crowded wizarding bank. 'It's getting chillier—everyone's getting ready for the colder season. I should, too. But I'll wait until I can take Harry away from those blasted muggles and take him shopping,' he told himself.

The goblin returned and informed him that, yes, Griphook was currently available and indicated for Severus to follow him to Griphook's office.

"Mr. Snape," Griphook greeted him. "What can I do for you?"

"Mr. Griphook," Severus replied. "It has recently come to my attention that I am the son of Henry Evans, and thus am Lily Potter's brother. I have also recently discovered that, against the wishes of the Potters, Harry James Potter was placed with his aunt Petunia and her husband, instead of with me. Petunia and her husband are both muggles and hate magic with a passion. I wish to obtain guardianship of my nephew without Albus Dumbledore or the Ministry of Magic finding out."

"Ah, yes, of course, Mr. Snape. We will have to do a paternity test and I will pull out the copy of the will that the Potters left with me. I will also need to know how you came by this information," Griphook informed him.

"Of course," Severus agreed and pulled the letters, as well as his own paternity test, from a pocket in his robes before explaining to Griphook what they were. Griphook told him that they would need to do their own paternity test for protocol's sake, to which Severus agreed.

After the paternity test was done (it showed the same results as the one Severus had done) and the will looked over, Griphook nodded firmly. "It would appear, Mr. Snape, that Albus Dumbledore altered the will at the ministry. Of course, he showed it to Ragnook, who is in charge of the Potters' vault, so that he could get their vault key. He is a rather greedy goblin. I assure you that I will look into whether anything has been illegally removed from the vault and I will be in touch with you. Charge over the Potters' vault will also be moved to me, to insure that nothing like this happens again. Here are the guardianship papers. You need to get the Dursleys to sign them to prevent anyone else from discovering that Harry Potter's guardianship has changed. Good luck, Mr. Snape."

Severus smiled at the goblin. "Thank you very much, Mr. Griphook, for your cooperation." Griphook nodded and then showed Severus out the door.

Severus Snape regained the malicious glint in his eyes as he flooed back to his quarters in Hogwarts. He had some plotting to do tonight and then he had a boy to rescue tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, and all of its characters belongs to J.K. Rowling. I am just playing in her playground._

Chapter 4—Of Books, Magic, Plotting, and Rescue

(Harry's POV)

The Dursleys had told him at breakfast they were leaving for a short vacation and would be back Sunday around mid-morning. Whenever they went on a vacation, he was generally allowed to do whatever he wanted, that is if they were going somewhere overnight (Harry suspected that they half-hoped that he would run away; only half-hoped, because if he did, they wouldn't have him around to do the chores). Of course, he still had to keep the house clean and the yard had to look nice, but typically it didn't take as long with them gone. 'It must have something to do with my accidental magic,' he mused.

Normally, he would take a trip to the library once his chores were done, as it was just down the block from the Dursleys' home. He'd seen it one day when delivering something to a neighbor for his Aunt Petunia. One of the librarians, Julie Purcell, had taken him under her wing and had taught him to read; delighted when he learned quickly (he apparently had a photographic memory). Once he had read all of the books in the children's section, she had begun to select books for him from other sections, beginning with ones that would be easiest for him to understand. Naturally, this affected his thought processes and how he spoke, but the Dursleys never really paid attention to the differences between how their son and nephew spoke.

Harry scoffed quietly to himself, 'They are always telling me not to talk to them or make a lot of noise—that I should pretend I don't exist. It's not like they take much notice of me anyway, except to make sure my chores are done up to their standards and to "punish" me.'

Having already cleaned the house, Harry smiled as he worked on pulling out the weeds that afternoon once the Dursleys had left (wincing slightly because of his bruised muscles). He recalled the first time he'd met Miss Julie, when he'd been four...

_**Flashback**_

_Harry walked into the library, looking in awe at all the books. There were shelves and shelves of them! He couldn't read, but maybe he could find a book with pictures in it to look at. Making his way to the children's section, he smiled tentatively at the nice-looking lady who was placing books on a shelf. His attention was instantly captured by her bright blue eyes, which promised she was kind and gentle._

"_Hello there, little one," she said kindly. "Where are your parents? You shouldn't be wandering off alone."_

_Harry shook his head sadly. "Mummy and Daddy're dead. Live wif Aunt an' Uncle now. Dey's gone for…" Harry thought for a moment before continuing with a shrug, "few days, I think. Mis'us Figg watches me sometimes when dey's gone, but she busy today. "_

_Harry was looking down at the ground out of embarrassment and missed the look of horror that crossed the librarian's face. Schooling her features into a smile, she replied gently, "You just stay here with me, then, okay? I don't want you to get hurt or taken by anyone. Do you know how to read?"_

_Harry shook his head. "Would you like me to teach you how?" she asked._

_Harry nodded eagerly, hoping that he could keep her from finding out just how much of a freak he was._

_**End of flashback**_

Harry shook his head. She had tried to get the authorities to step in, telling him that no one deserved to be treated the way the Dursleys treated him. However, the minute the authorities had heard the name Dursley, she had informed him, they had become indifferent. He knew she had her suspicions as to why they, along with Mrs. Figg, were indifferent, but she had yet to share them. She had then tried to get guardianship of him and when that had failed, had tried to adopt him. That had also failed.

The first time she had taken him to her house to spend the night (after many months and a bit of coaxing); he had accidentally knocked over a table with a beautiful vase on it, causing the vase to smash. Just as soon as it had, it pulled itself back together. Realizing he had done something "freaky," he had automatically begun apologizing, thinking she would not want him around anymore.

Instead of kicking him out of her house, she had taken him by the hand and led him over to the couch, pulled him onto her lap, and explained to him that magic was not "freaky." He had stared at her in awe and she had smiled and performed some magic herself.

"_You see? I can do magic, too. What you do is called 'accidental magic.' When you are older, you will go to school to learn how to control it," she had explained to him._

From then on, she had become his support, always showing him kindness. 'Truly,' he often told himself, 'she is unique. No one else would ever treat me with such kindness. Well, except for Mum, maybe, and those other people that I can vaguely remember from my first birthday.' He never told her about when the Dursleys hurt him, however. She only knew about them favoring Dudley and ignoring him, and he was determined to keep it that way.

Because of his injuries, however, he decided to forgo a trip to the library this time. 'Not that I would be able to visit, anyway,' he told himself. 'The soreness in my body is making this take as long as, if not longer than, it usually does. Hopefully she is not aware of when the Dursleys take a trip somewhere. Otherwise she will become suspicious when I do not show up at the library and will probably search for me.'

Hurrying through the rest of his chores, he cleaned up and went inside. Sitting on the floor in the kitchen for a few moments (for, as the Dursleys were fond of reminding him, "freaks" don't get to be treated like normal people. That meant he was not allowed to sit on the couches in the living room or on any of the chairs in the house), he rested his head against the wall in an attempt to ease his aching muscles. A few minutes later, he picked himself up and made a sandwich. The Dursleys always kept a close eye on what they had in the house, including the food, and knew instantly if he had taken something he wasn't supposed to.

After eating his sandwich and washing his plate, he went to his cupboard and pulled out his last clean set of clothes. Slipping into the bathroom and undressing, he luxuriated in the shower by using lukewarm water (instead of cold) and taking five minutes (instead of three). Toweling himself dry with a towel Miss Julie had given him (disguised as ratty and worn, when in reality it was the softest, fluffiest towel Harry had ever laid eyes on), he dressed in the nice work clothes she had also given him, which were disguised to look like Dudley's hand-me-downs.

Curled up on his mattress that night, he fell asleep to dreams about his mother and her promises of the man who would rescue him.

The next morning, Harry stretched out his sore muscles, wincing from the pain of the bruising. Taking out the watch that Miss Julie had given him (disguised as a broken watch, of course), he realized it was later than he normally woke up. 'Hmmm…maybe being able to relax had something to do with it.' After making and consuming his breakfast (which consisted of toast and tea), he began his chores and was halfway done in the house when the Dursleys got home.

Uncle Vernon scowled at him, Aunt Petunia nodded in what passed as grudging approval from her, and Dudley just ignored him, preferring to enjoy his new toys in his room.

As Harry was finishing up and preparing to start on his chores outside, there was a knock on the door.

"Boy!" Uncle Vernon shouted from the kitchen. "Go answer that door!"

Scrambling to do as his uncle had demanded, he quickly made his way to the door. Opening it, he saw a fierce-looking man, dressed all in black, with a hooked nose and obsidian eyes. Harry's eyes widened in surprise, 'Surely this isn't Uncle Severus!_' _he thought.

"H-hello, sir," Harry whispered in fright.

"Hello, Harry," Severus replied gently, his face softening in an effort to lessen Harry's obvious fear. It took quite an effort, as he was used to scowling. "My name is Severus Snape."

* * *

(Julie's POV)

It was Saturday morning and Julie Purcell took a sip of tea before she went to the library, where she volunteered her weekends. During the week, she worked in a bookstore in muggle London.

On her mind this morning (as with most mornings) was her young friend, Harry, the son of her dear friend Lily. Perhaps now Harry was old enough to hear the complete truth about his parents' death. He'd told her what those horrid muggles had told him about their deaths and it infuriated her. She had informed him that his relatives were lying and that they had died to protect him from an evil wizard.

Frowning slightly, she wondered what her grandfather, Albus Dumbledore, had in mind for Harry. She recalled Lucius telling her that her grandfather had ordered him to deliver part of the prophecy to Voldemort. Pursing her lips in anger, she thought, 'He'd better not be planning on using Harry to end Voldemort. Merlin help him if he is, he will have hell to pay. I will find out the whole prophecy if it's the last thing I do! He will **not **get his hands on Harry!'Smirking slightly, she realized that befriending Harry early on had been a very good thing indeed.

Her smirk widened when she recalled that the sorting hat had told her she belonged in Slytherin. "_Your grandfather has seen to that with his treatment of you." _Once she assured the hat that she was sure she could not yet afford to go against her grandfather's wishes, it had relented and had placed her in Gryffindor.

It was after the welcoming feast that her friendship with Lily Evans had been renewed.

Ah, yes, for you see, she had known and been friends with Lily Evans well before she and her uncle Abe moved closer to Hogwarts. In fact, she had been friends with Severus, as well, before she ever met Lily. She remembered the day she'd met him, at a park, when they were seven.

_**Flashback**_

"_Hi, my name is Julie, what's yours?" she asked the dark-haired boy she'd found sitting on a bench in the park._

"_S-severus," he replied hesitantly._

"_You look like you've been hurt. My uncle can fix you up. Come on, I'll help you to my home and introduce you to him. He's really nice and takes great care of me," she spoke gently._

_Nodding slowly, he winced as he stood and stumbled a bit when he tried to walk. Wordlessly, Julie slipped an arm around him to help him walk. Knowing he would never make it without it, he allowed her to help._

_**End of flashback**_

Thereafter, they had spent time together and he had slowly opened up about his home life. Just after she turned nine, she had met Lily and got to know her, then introduced her to Severus (she was very protective of her friends). Sadly, soon after that Julie and her Uncle Abe had moved to Hogsmead, but she was glad that he would still have a friend.

Severus, however, had felt that Julie had abandoned him and would not speak to her at all. In their third year, Lily had finally convinced him that Julie had had no choice, but he felt by then it was too late for them to renew their friendship, plus he was already getting grief from his Slytherin classmates for maintaining his friendship with Lily as she was a Gryffindor and a muggleborn. He didn't want to add to that.

_"He told me these were his reasons for not renewing his friendship with you. Maybe once we graduate you can try being friends again," Lily had said optimistically._

"_I doubt he wants to give the Marauders another reason to prank him. Not that they really need a reason," Julie had replied darkly. "I can understand his reluctance and only hope that one day he and I can be friends again," she had added, a tear rolling down her cheek. She had sobbed her heart out when she'd had to leave Severus and Lily behind and it had torn her to pieces that she couldn't again be friends with Severus. She had cherished her friendship with him, as she had her friendship with Lily, but she had been closer to Severus before she and her uncle had moved to Hogsmead._

Julie had been part of the Order of the Phoenix, so when Lucius had begged them for help after seeing the gruesome death of a former classmate, those capable of Legilimency had tested him. All had been satisfied, as it was clear that he had all his barriers down for their benefit, and she felt they had all done a thorough search. She had, at the very least, been satisfied that he had truly changed and was now on their side.

Julie, naturally, had worried about Narcissa's reaction and had gone to speak to the woman on Lucius' behalf. They'd had nothing to worry about, however, as Narcissa had also seen some of the things that had troubled Lucius. The Malfoy matriarch had also discovered that Voldemort was not really a pureblood, which she had gleefully shared.

Then, Harry had been whisked away from Godric's Hollow soon after Voldemort had killed Lily and James. She still remembered how futile it had been for her to ask her grandfather where he had been taken.

_**Flashback**_

"_Grandfather, I'm wondering about Harry's whereabouts. You know that Lily was my best friend and I wish to know where her son is now," Julie told her grandfather._

"_Naturally," Dumbledore replied, "but I do not wish for anyone else to know where he is. He is safe where I have placed him and that is all you or anyone else needs to know," he added firmly._

_Julie had been livid over his silence and vowed to find Harry._

_**End of flashback**_

Her grandfather's continued refusal to tell her where he'd placed Harry had caused her to turn her back on him and the majority of the wizarding world, and she settled in a neighborhood not too far from the Dursleys. She had been unaware that Privet Drive was where the Dursleys lived, until the day little Harry had walked into the library. Because he was too small for a three-year-old, Julie had not immediately recognized him, although her heart had skipped a beat when she'd seen his eyes. 'Lily's eyes,' she remembered thinking. 'But he is too young to be Harry.'

Sighing, she stood up and began preparing for her day, wondering when she would next see Harry.

* * *

(Severus' POV)

After his trip to Gringotts, Severus returned to his quarters in a fairly good mood. Sitting in his chair by the fire that was merrily crackling in its grate, he began planning on how to make the Dursleys sign the guardianship papers. 'Petunia knows very well I can easily force them to sign the papers. If I pull out my wand, she will no doubt be afraid I might actually use magic on them.' Smirking evilly, he debated as to whether he should exact revenge on them before he took Harry to safety. 'No,' he decided, 'it's better to wait and plan that part for later. Then Harry won't have to see what I do to them.'

He continued to plan how to get the signature he needed and decided a few harmless hexes would be enough to scare them out of their wits if they were too stubborn. It was too late to contact Lucius, so he would talk to his friend in the morning. They needed to plan how to work around Albus Dumbledore.

An owl flew into his quarters and upon taking the letter, he recognized that it was from Gringotts. Scanning to the bottom, he noted that it was from Griphook and he began to read.

_Mr. Snape,_

_I have successfully transferred Mr. Potter's vaults and have gone over the documentation for it. Enclosed are copies for your perusal._

_The monthly payments that have been made to the Dursleys will be stopped as soon as you bring the guardianship papers in. The funds that were illegally removed will be replaced with funds from Albus Dumbledore's vault at the same time. Any other items illegally removed will be retrieved at that time, as well._

_Please let me know if there is anything else that we can do for you._

_Sincerely,_

_Griphook_

Severus looked at the figures of the monthly payment to the Dursleys and growled. They were being given a small fortune every month to keep Harry and, according to what Lily had said in her letter, were not using it for him at all! No doubt they also made Harry believe they took him in out of the supposed kindness of their non-existent hearts.

* * *

The next morning, he was just finishing up breakfast when his floo flared and out stepped Lucius. 'I should have known. They always eat their breakfast at a ridiculous hour. It's Sunday, for Merlin's sake! Do they not know the concept of sleeping in? It's a good thing I've already had my coffee,'he grumbled to himself.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Severus, but I wanted to know how things went yesterday," Lucius said by way of a greeting.

After he had taken the last bite of his breakfast, his plate and coffee mug disappeared to the kitchens to be washed by the elves. Standing, he indicated for Lucius to follow him.

"We should be able to circumvent Albus and his plans, but it will take careful planning on our part," Severus informed him.

"Naturally," Lucius replied. "Harry is welcome to stay with us if you ever need him to. You know," he added after a long pause, "I may know someone who can help us work around Albus. She used to be part of the Order and was frantic when Albus wouldn't tell anyone where he'd placed Harry."

Severus frowned. "You think she will help us? How do you know she won't tell Albus that we have Harry?"

Lucius grinned, "because she has refused to so much as be around him after he refused to tell her where Harry was. She has been a great friend of ours since I turned away from the Dark Lord." He frowned slightly, "my only concern is that I doubt she knows that you also turned away from the Dark Lord. By the time you came to the Order, she had already left the wizarding world behind. You may have to let her legilimize you, otherwise she might not let you anywhere _near _Harry—Narcissa and I had to allow her to do so before she trusted us."

Severus sighed. "Well, we'll deal with that when we get to it, I suppose." Pulling out the letter from Griphook, he added with a growl, "Griphook informed me of the amount that has been illegally removed, on a _monthly _basis, from the Potters' vault for the Dursleys as 'compensation' for having Harry dumped on their doorstep."

Lucius' eyes widened as he read the figures ("One thousand galleons per month?!"), then grinned maliciously when he read Griphook's reassurance that the monthly payments would be stopped and the amount taken would be replaced with money from Dumbledore's vault once Severus returned with the guardianship papers. "I wonder how they're going to explain the shortage of galleons to him," he said as he handed the letter back to Severus.

"They'll figure something out, I'm sure," Severus replied. He then explained his plans for getting the Dursleys to sign the guardianship papers, and added, "I hope that you will help me plan and execute revenge on the Dursleys?"

"With pleasure," Lucius gleefully responded. "Are you planning on rescuing him today?" At Severus' nod, he frowned. "I promised Draco and Narcissa that we would go sight-seeing today. Quite frankly, I was surprised she didn't want to take the opportunity to go shopping, but I won't complain. I should probably get going."

"Of course," Severus said. "I'd better get going, too. Who knows what one more day in that household will do to the poor boy." Lucius nodded grimly and flooed back to his home.

After gathering up the guardianship papers and placing everything he did not want the headmaster to find within his room, Severus again warded them and left. Once he had reached the outside of the castle, he made his way past the anti-apparition wards and apparated to an alley near Privet Drive. Briskly walking towards number 4 Privet Drive, he failed to notice the library he walked past, or the brown-eyed woman who spotted him and then hastily stood to whisper to the librarian at the front desk.

Walking up to number 4 Privet Drive, he knocked on the door and waited. He scowled when he heard a shout of, "Boy! Go answer that door!" Hearing a bit of scrambling, he knew that it was mostly likely Harry that had been spoken to and his scowl deepened.

When the door opened, he noted the messy black hair that so perfectly resembled James Potter's and the boy's widened green eyes. _'Lily's eyes. But he's too small! Those horrid muggles! I can only hope they give me a reason to hex them!'_

"H-hello, sir," Harry whispered.

'He's afraid of me! Normally I would be delighted by that, but I can't have my nephew frightened of me if I'm to help him recover from the Dursleys' treatment of him!'So, he made an effort to be kind, although it was not what he usually did, especially with children. Softening his expression as much as he was able to, he replied in as gentle a tone as he could manage. "Hello, Harry. My name is Severus Snape."


End file.
